title: Increased indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) activity in idiopathic generalized epilepsy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) is a cytokine-inducible enzyme that participates in tryptophan (trp) and serotonin metabolism with an ability to modulate neuroinflammation. Several recent studies have shown associations between cytokines and epilepsy. In this study we investigated whether activation of IDO is associated with epilepsy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Kynurenine (kyn)/trp serum ratio, as an indicator of IDO activity was analyzed in 271 carefully classified epilepsy patients, and 309 healthy adults.
  
  
  RESULTS
  IDO activity was increased in patients with unclassified idiopathic generalized epilepsy (IGE) (n=11; p=0.05), in juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME) (n=25; p=0.04) and in patients those with temporal lobe epilepsy but no hippocampal sclerosis (TLE-HS) (n=103; p=0.05) compared to the control subjects. In patients with idiopathic (but not cryptogenic or symptomatic) etiology of epilepsy, IDO activity was increased compared to the control subjects (p<0.05). Patients with extra-TLE or TLE+HS had IDO activity comparable to the control subjects. Patients who were one-month seizure-free prior to sampling had increased IDO activity compared to the control subjects (p=0.03).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Increased IDO activity appeared to be associated with idiopathic generalized epilepsies such as unclassified IGE and JME, two of the most common types of primary generalized epilepsy. We also found a trend of increased IDO activity in patients with TLE-HS. Our results suggest that increased IDO activity may represent an adaptive metabolic phenomenon in epilepsy, which may also have a neuroprotective or anticonvulsive role by downregulating neuroinflammation in the brain.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Rehabilitation, Tampere University Hospital, P.O. Box 2000, 33521 Tampere, Finland; Emergency Department Acuta, Tampere University Hospital, P.O. Box 2000, 33521 Tampere, Finland.
authors.forename: Suvi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Liimatainen
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Tampere University Hospital, P.O. Box 2000, 33521 Tampere, Finland.
authors.forename: Kai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Lehtimäki
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Tampere, Medical School, 33014 Tampere, Finland.
authors.forename: Annika
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Raitala
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Rehabilitation, Tampere University Hospital, P.O. Box 2000, 33521 Tampere, Finland.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Peltola
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, Tampere University Hospital, P.O. Box 2000, 33521 Tampere, Finland.
authors.forename: Simo S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Oja
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Rehabilitation, Tampere University Hospital, P.O. Box 2000, 33521 Tampere, Finland.
authors.forename: Jukka
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Peltola
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Tampere, Medical School, 33014 Tampere, Finland; The Laboratory Centre, Tampere University Hospital, P.O. Box 2000, 33521 Tampere, Finland.
authors.forename: Mikko A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Hurme
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004829:Epilepsy, Generalized / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D050503:Indoleamine-Pyrrole 2,3,-Dioxygenase / Q000097:blood*; D007737:Kynurenine / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012701:Serotonin / Q000097:blood; D014364:Tryptophan / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D050503:Indoleamine-Pyrrole 2,3,-Dioxygenase; D012701:Serotonin; D007737:Kynurenine; D014364:Tryptophan